Road-cart



T. G. MUNZ.

{No Model.)

ROAD CART.

Pgtented Dec. 9, 1890.

a WW /W fi W r W W W Er a Jfiw UNITED. STATES PATENT OFF1cE.

THEODORE C. MUNZ, OF TOLEDO, OHIO.

ROAD-CART.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 442,384, dated December 9, 1890.

Application filed August 11, 1890,

T0 at whom it 12mg concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE C. MUNZ, of Toledo, in the county of Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Road-Carts; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to roadcarts.

The object of the invention is to produoea road-cart having the body so supported upon the springs that all horse motion or side motion will be taken up, thus providing an easyriding vehicle.

A further object is to produce a road-cart which shall be simple of construction, efficient and durable in use, and comparatively inexpensive of production.

With these objects in view the invention consists in providing a road-cart having side bars adapted to be secured to the springs, and transverse supports having a swinging connection with the said bars and adapted to support the body.

The invention further consists in providing means for holding the different parts of the device intact without the use of bolts or nuts for that purpose.

The invention further consists in the various novel details of construction of a roadcart, as will be hereinafter fully described in the specification, illustrated in the drawings, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts, I have illustrated one form of road-cart and parts of the same embodying the essential features of my invention, although the same may be carried into effect in other ways without in the least departing from the spirit thereof, and in these drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a road-cart provided with my improved body-support. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the body-support; and Fig. 3 is a rear eleva' tion of the cart, the wheels being removed,

Serial No. 361,696x (N0 model.)

showing the connection between the body of the cart and my improved body-support.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the body of the road-cart; 2, the wheels; 3, the thills, and 4 the axle. As these parts may be of any approved construction, a detailed description of them is not deemed necessary.

Mounted upon the axle and secured in the ordinary manner are the body-springs 5,which may be of any desired configuration, but preferably elliptical, as shown. Upon each of the springs is secured a side bar 6, which may be of any desired length-that is, longer or shorter than the body l-and are provided at each end with an upwardly-curved portion 7, from which project inwardly-extending lugs or projections S. The free end of each of these lugsis reduced, as shown at 9, forming a hearing for a link 10. The bearing is formed with a spline 11, and thelinkwithakey-hole opening 12, which is so arranged with relation to the spline that when in its normal position the groove 12' will be at an angle to the said spline. The free end of each of the links is also provided with a splined stud or projection 13, extending at right angles to the projections on the side bars. Each of these projections is engaged by alink 14, provided with a key-hole opening 1%, arranged in the same relation to the said projections as those carried by the links 10. The loweror free ends of the links it are engaged by transverse rods or supports 15, which are held in place within the said links in the same manner as the other parts of the device are held together'namely, by means of splined projections 16 engaging key-hole openings 17.

All of the parts just described are to be constructed of a suitable material, and may, if desired, be ornamented in any manner to produce a neat and finished appearance.

In carrying myinvention into effect the side bars are first secured to the side springs, and the other parts of the device, consisting of the links 10 and ll and the supports 15, are placed in position. The body is then placed upon the said supports and is firmly secured thereon by any suitable means. lVhen the vehicle is in use and the horse is traveling, the motion therefrom will be transmitted from the thills to the axle, and from the axle,through the medium of the springs 5, to the body,which latter adjusts itself to the motion through the medium of the links 10, While any lateral motion is taken up by the links 14, the direction of movement of which is indicated by an arrow extending parallel to one of the transverse bars 16. By this construction of bodysupport all horse and side motion willbe overcome and the cart Will ride as smoothly and easily as an ordinary four-wheeled vehicle. Another great advantage claimed is the peculiar manner of holding the parts together by means of the splined projection, which construction does away entirely with the use of any nuts or bolts, thereby not only cheapening the production of the device, but also preventing the possibility of the parts becoming loosened or separated from constant use. I'do not limit this manner of holding intact the body-supporting mechanism of road-carts alone, but may employ it on any class of ve-' body-springs, of sidebars carried thereby, a series of jointed links carried by each of the said bars, the direction of movement of one series of Which is parallel to the side bars and of the other series at an angle to the said bars, and transverse supports carried by the latter series of links.

2. In aroad-cart,the combination, with the body-spring, of side bars carried thereby, having inwardly-extending lugs provided with splined bearings, links having key-hole openings adapted 'to engage the'saidbearings and carrying splined bearings similar to those on the lugs, links engaging the latter bearings and having their lower ends provided with key-hole openings, and transverse supports having splined bearings adapted to engage the said opening In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my oWn I hereby affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

THEODOREC. MUNZ.

\Vitnesses:

CARROLL J. WVEBsTER, WILLIAM WEBSTER. 

